A total of 21 Desert Speed School athletes between three local high school teams are still alive in the quest for a high school football state championship, and all three schools received major contributions in their playoff wins from these athletes.
4A #1 Salpointe and #5 Sahuaro each one their quarterfinal games in convincing fashion, with the top-ranked Lancers picking up 2 touchdowns from running back Mario Padilla. Meanwhile, Sahuaro capitalized on an interception, and later, a fumble recovery by Avery Ndisabiye to win their second-round game. The wins from each program sets up an all-Tucson semifinal between the schools, with the winner headed to the state championship game November 24th. Arizona Daily Star…
At the 3A level, Sabino got a critical fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown by Defensive Player of the Year Richie Pina, and added a 42-yard touchdown run by Jamel Brown to win their matchup. Full story…
Desert Speed School athletes still alive in the playoffs include:
Salpointe
Luke Regina
Trent Strong
Mario Padilla
Jackson Bolin
Xavier Farhang
Luke Straka
Colin Dreis
CJ Franks
Jayse Kearns
Sahuaro
Jordan Bunting
Avery Ndisabiye
Zachery Edmonds
Sabino
Nick Satterly
Nathan Swanberg
Richie Pina
Max Rabich
Brad Hoge
Ryon Peoples
Chandler Canant
Michael Masunas
Jamel Brown
(Photo credit: Sean Logan, Arizona Republic)